Not quite funny, not quite exciting, not quite worth your time.
Can Bert the cat and his human girl, Mellie, save their town (and maybe the world)?
Picking up right where the second volume left off, Bert, aka Y-91 (not a zombie but a victim of medical experiments who now has sort-of superpowers), has been captured by the Big Boss of YummCo. Mellie and her friends, free of the influence of mind-control drug Yummconium, are intent upon rescuing Bert and finding an antidote for the townspeople of Lambert. All the while, the Big Boss and her lab tech henchmen Greg and Kari are focused on getting control of the world population via Yummconium and mesmerism. Can Bert complete his mission of rescuing all the animals in the lab? Can Mellie rescue Bert and her mind-controlled family? Or will the Big Boss succeed in turning the world’s population into mindless consumers of everything YummCo? Even readers who have worked their way through the previous two (slim) volumes might be a bit lost at first, as there’s little attempt to catch readers up on the slightly silly plot. Alternating perspectives in the chapters can be a bit jarring. Weak character development and a predictable plot limit this one’s appeal to readers of the other volumes. Andrews’ cartoon black-and-white illustrations are the best feature. Images depict Mellie as dark-skinned. Final art not seen.
Not quite funny, not quite exciting, not quite worth your time. (Science fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0108-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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